Alphabet Challenge: C is for CHILIARCH
by toobeauty
Summary: A former Chiliarch, a King, a Boy and a love story. This was supposed to be a standalone, but I wrote a Prequel to it called "Nine Full Moons" and several sequels in "My Phainder Universe"


**TITLE: C for CHLIARCH.**

AUTHOR: Too_beauty.

PAIRING: Alexander & Hephaestion; Ptolemy, Phainder.

RATING: PG.

CATEGORY: Historical AU.

DISCLAMER: I don't know the people involved, they belong to History and to themselves but I wouldn't mind sharing my life with Phai *sighs* Phainder belongs to my imagination.

**WARNING: m/m relationship / implied Mpreg.**

NO BETA so all mistakes are mine.

FEEDBACK: comments are love!

* * *

"So Papa, what is a chiliarch?" The little boy asked him.

"Tough question, son. Let see if I can explain it to you in a simple way. Etymologically it means …."

"Greek, Papa, Greek" the little boy interrupted his father.

"That's fine, it means commander of a thousand but since the King decided to award this rank, the chiliarch has hold duties both martial and civil, a very important position, by the way" the man explained to the child. "Why do you want to know this, son?"

"Because he told me that it is the most important position below the King himself and that only honourable men can be appointed to that position."

"Ah! You have been talking to the King, again" the man sighed.

"Is that wrong, Papa?" the little boy asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

"No, my son, it is fine" the man soothed him and raffled his son's blonde and wavy hair.

"I like talking with him, he always has good stories to tell and he speaks with pretty words"

"Pretty words? What does it mean?"

"He speaks simply, like you, so I can understand what he tells me. He told me that words are even stronger than the finest weapons" the boy said seriously.

"Why did he say that?" The father asked curiously, taking a seat next to his son in their garden.

The boy didn't look at him because he was trying to remember how the conversation had begun. Phainder lifted his gaze and his fathers found himself drowned into his son's blue eyes, match to his, but free of problems.

"I remember, Papa, he told me that he should have listened to his soul mate's words more frequently and he could have avoided many problems, especially wars or futile campaigns."

A chill ran along the man's body and with fear in his voice he asked his five year-old son:

- "And who is the King's soul mate?"

- "I asked him but he told me that his name was for his ears only, because pronouncing him aloud still causes him a deep pain; but he also told me that he was the most extraordinary man in the world, rival to any god. He added that he was his first and only Chiliarch and that he doesn't want to have another."

- "Is this man dead?" the father asked.

- "Yes, but not physically; the King told me that this man got extremely ill six years ago and he was on the verge to die while they were in Ecbatana, but as he was planning the conquest of Arabia, he had to leave him behind."

- "And what happened to this man?" the father asked with teary eyes.

- "Are you fine, Papa? Your eyes are reddish" the worried boy asked.

- "Yes, son, I have been writing a lot; they are a bit tired, but please, go on with your story."

- "The man had a miraculous recovery and started his own family. He left the King's side because that was what was killing him, and when the King returned two months ago, after being away on campaign for almost six years, he knew about this but he didn't look for him"

- "Why not? Did he tell you?"

- "Yes, he told me that he had lost the right to love this man because of his mean attitude to him, and apart from that, the King knew about his Chiliarch's family so he didn't want to give him any problems."

- "Ah! That is his reason" the man whispered. "Have you told the King who you are?"

- "No Papa, you told me not to tell anybody at the Palace. Can I ask why?"

- "It is difficult to explain but it can turn a bit dangerous if they discover who you are or who I am."

- "But you are a teacher, father, is that dangerous? The little boy sighed and added "That's fine, papa, you don't have to explain me" "Is Uncle Ptolemy coming?"

- "Yes, he is coming with Thais and Helena to visit us; so get a bath, change your chiton and prepare for them. I will finish with my school reports."

Later that evening, Ptolemy arrived and looking at his friend, he could say that there was a problem.

"Phai, what's the problem?"

"He's back."

"You knew that he'd come back looking for you."

"THEY have met."

"How? Does he know?"

"No, Ptolemy but it'll not take him long to discover the truth He told Phainder that he didn't look for me because I had a family now.

"Well, so everything will be fine."

"How is he, Ptolemy?" he asked with concern.

"He is old, tired and sad."

"Tired, I understand, but old? He is my age, even eight months younger." Hephaestion said.

"Yes, but Aphrodite has been generous with you, you are nearly 40 and still handsome but Alexander's hair turned completely white, his eyes are not longer bright but cloudy and lost and even his stance when he gets his sword is careless. This campaign had taken too much from him and his last two wounds were serious and are giving him a lot of trouble …" he was interrupted in the middle of the sentence.

"Two serious wounds? Perdicas didn't tell me he had new ones when he …."

"No, I told him not to tell you, you get too excited, like now, and in this moment you cannot do anything for him."

"I know, I know, his pretty boy is still looking after him" he said with sarcasm in his voice.

"No, you are wrong; Alexander left Bagoas in a harem in Arabia and asked him not to follow him anymore."

Hephaestion looked at Ptolemy really in shock and wondered why Alexander had done that to his eunuch, but he didn't dare to ask about it.

"If you are wondering why, he told me he was going to make you up for all those years of infidelity."

"Did he know I had survived?"

"Yes, but only that. He was feeling so guilty that he only thanked the gods when he got the message of your miraculous recovery but he also assumed he had not longer the right to claim you as his lover and chiliarch after abandoning you to your own fate. He discovered about Phainder when we came back and up to now he had assumed he is Drypetis's son; he doesn't know you have sent her back to her family."

"It was the best, she was suffering here, I'd have never been a good husband for her, and it would have been more than difficult to explain about …"

"I know and it is true" interrupted Ptolemy "but you must move on and get someone"

"I don't need anybody, I have my son and my students and my friends, of course" he answered smiling at the elder general.

"Yes, your school is doing well, we have had news that some of your best students are heading to Athens for further studies "

"Yes, we received some money from a rich merchant and so I can do more things. This donation was a god's gift." Hephaestion told him happily.

"Yes, a merchant, indeed" Ptolemy said giggling.

"Don't tell me it was him" he asked with surprise in his cerulean eyes, and Ptolemy just nodded.

Some days later, Phainder was again wandering in the Royal Gardens when he saw a man curled up under an old apple tree, the man was weeping and hugging his knees against his chest. He approached the man and kneeling next to him, asked:

"Excuse me, are you hurt? May I help you?"

The King lifted his blood-shoot eyes and whispered:

"Oh! there you are my little Phai, come, sit with me" he pleaded.

"Yes, my King, but why are you weeping, Sire?" he asked with concern in his little voice.

"I am lost, sad and lonely, my dear friend"

"But you are Alexander, the great King of all the known world and …"

"But I'd give up to the last piece of my vast empire to have my beloved back."

"Talk to him, my King, if he is the good person you say he is, he maybe still keeps his feelings for you and makes things better."

"My little sunshine, he has a wife and a son, he has moved on; he is doing well without me but … well no more tears, are you ready for another story?" he asked the little boy who was staring at him with love in his eyes.

"If you are ready Sire, I'd love too."

"You know, it is funny but your eyes remind me of his; my Chiliarch has the most amazing sky-blue eyes I've ever seen, I used to look at them and get lost, take strength and find peace. How old are you sunshine? "

"I am nearly six, Sire. May I ask you why you call me sunshine?" the little boy was quite intrigued.

"Because it is what you are too me; every day I meet you, my day turns brighter; I feel so comfortable with you, as if I had the possibility of having my Phai again but doing things well this time. I used to call him my moon, always there in the sky, always looking after me when the night and its nightmares clouded my mind, always a faithful companion and you, my little friend, are the sunshine because your company keeps me warm during the day and it seems to me that you are a part of me … well, no more babbling, let's begin with your story: I was eight years old when I met my beloved and …. " and the king was lost again in his memories and the little boy looked at him with admiration and love in his blue eyes.

It was late when, both the King and the boy realized that the sun had set down.

"Oh, it is late, Sire, my Papa will be worried, I must go now."

"What about your mother? Won't she be worried too?" the king asked with curiosity.

"I have never met her, Sire, my father brought me up alone" the boy said with proud in his voice.

"Sorry, my little friend. Let me call some guards to take you home. No, wait, I'll take you myself on Thunder, my faithful Bucephalus can't take two people on him anymore."

King and boy rode on Thunder to a small village, ten stadia from the Palace. Both of them fitted together on the war stallion as if they were only one rider, that made the king reminder him of his long rides with Hephaestion on Bucephalus when they were just two kids, back in Pella, where his love had begun.

They were very near the boy's house when another rider was going the opposite way. When they were about to cross, Phainder shouted "Papa" and Alexander brought Thunder to a halt. The rider approached and both men froze in the spot. They couldn't believe their eyes. Phainder looked from one man to the other, staring at each other, trying to guess what was going on.

Hephaestion broke the silence:

"Joy to you, Alexander" the former general greeted his King who was still looking at him in shock. The king couldn't reply, he had his Phai in front of him, he had his son between his arms and he was looking even more handsome than he remembered, if that was possible.

"My King, are you feeling unwell? Why don't you greet my father?" he asked with innocence in his voice.

"I'm fine, sunshine, don't worry. Joy to you, Phai" the king greeted him, looking into those two pools of heaven. "So this little man is yours"

Hephaestion just nodded; his voice had gone and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Do you know my Papa, Sire?" Phainder turned round in the King's arms and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Yes, I do, he is MY Chiliarch" he whispered but Hephaestion was able to listen to him.

"I was your Chiliarch, my king, now I am a school teacher".

"But if my papa was you Chiliarch so he was your …" the king interrupted the boy's words by placing a finger over his lips, "Yes, my son, you are right but I don't think your father wants to be reminded of that." Alexander said with pain in his voice.

Hephaestion felt his heart skip a beat when Alexander called Phainder "my son", he swallowed repeatedly and talked to his son:

"Are you ready to come back home, young man? Your bed time has already passed long ago."

"Yes, papa. See you my king" the boy kissed the man on his cheek and went back to his father's arms.

The king caressed his cheek, smiled at the boy and said: "See you soon, my son" and looking at Hephaestion, he nodded and … left.

**

* * *

**

**Author's note : ****Chiliarch** (Greek: χιλίαρχος, meaning "commander of a thousand"), in the Greek army of the Hellenistic period, was a commander of a 1,000 men unit, roughly equivalent to a modern battalion. The office was an adaptation by Alexander the Great of the Persian Achaemenid empire's _hazarapatish_. A chiliarch held duties both martial and civil. Alexander the Great first awarded this rank to Hephaestion Amyntoros, but after Hephaestion's death it was awarded to Perdiccas. The rank continued in use in later ages_._


End file.
